


We Take Care Of Our Own

by Im_The_Doctor (Bofur1)



Category: Video Blogging RPF, Youtube RPF
Genre: Apologies, Bad Days, Blankets, Canon Compliant, Caretaking, Chase is the Dad Friend, Crying, Depression, Exhaustion, Family Feels, Fluff and Angst, Guilt, Help, Hurt/Comfort, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Illustrated, Multiple Selves, One Shot, Pillow & Blanket Forts, Sleep Deprivation, Slice of Life, Sort Of, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, Vulnerability
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-09
Updated: 2017-11-09
Packaged: 2019-01-31 03:39:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12673638
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bofur1/pseuds/Im_The_Doctor
Summary: Chase may be the youngest Ego, but he and Schneep were only seven months apart and Chase was a father. They both had been once; Schneep, of all people, understood how family problems nagged at a dad’s mind until he dealt with them or made sure someone else did as soon as possible.Needless to say, seeing his closest “brother” flopped dejectedly on the floor like the laundry was a problem that Chase needed to deal with personally.(Or: Schneeplestein has a bad morning, doesn't know how to cope, and Chase decides to help him out whether he wants it or not.)





	We Take Care Of Our Own

When Chase woke up, he could tell it was going to be a good day. He didn’t really have any basis for the idea except a warm, comfortable feeling tingling in his chest.

Unlike so many other days since his family left— _so very many_ —today was going to be a good day.

For a while, he didn’t even bother getting up, snuggling lower into his warm blankets and listening fondly to the distant sounds of the other Egos bustling about outside. He knew the routine by heart: Jackieboy whistling heroic theme songs and cheering at the cartoons they belonged to, Marvin sorting out the laundry load that had been in the dryer overnight, hollering at Schneep to come and get his blinding array of colorful socks, and Schneep bemoaning the fact that this time of the morning existed.

Chase blinked his eyes open then, straining his ears a little. He definitely heard the first two, but not the third. In fact, though it was muffled through the door, Marv was currently voicing Chase’s thoughts: “Jackie, did you set up the coffeepot? The doc’s usually dragging himself across the floor to get his fix by now…”

“Yeah, it’s all warmed up! Maybe he just had a late night,” Jackieboy replied distractedly before turning up the volume on his program.

Mouth twisting in a curious frown, Chase kicked his blankets away, slipping his bare feet into the nearest pair of shoes that were at the foot of his bed and perching his hat backwards on his head as he padded out, waving a vague hello to the others as he stepped through the scattered laundry piles and went down the hall to his left, toward Schneep’s room.

There wasn’t anyone in it, as usual. Chase knew he ought to go straight to the lab, but this change in routine was making him a little nervous. Besides, it was a big place and he ought to be thorough, right? That’s what Schneep himself was always telling him (bragging at him): “When I perform checkup, I perform _all_ the tests! Nothing goes unchecked! It is what only an expert doctor would do!”

He was getting off track—purposefully, if he was honest, Chase mused as he ducked in and out of the kitchen and the computer room. He checked both bathrooms too, just to be sure, before reluctantly venturing to the lab, stopping up short when he saw the door.

This wasn’t going to be a good day.

Schneep never closed his door to anyone, much less the other Egos; he would eagerly welcome anyone to watch his work or even participate, if they had the time. Chase had seen that door so rarely that he had forgotten what it looked like from the outside. Swallowing hard, he knocked, waiting with baited breath for a full minute. No answer came, so he knocked a second time, waited thirty seconds and then bravely pushed it open. When the door reached the halfway point, it caught, its progress slowed by something. When Chase squinted into the darkness of the room, he could see it was one of Schneep’s loafers.

The other one was close by, he discovered, as was a limply tangled stethoscope. Chase’s heart sank when he found the man they belonged to. He was stretched out a few yards away, looking rather worse for wear in his rumpled coat and overly bright socks, with his chin resting forlornly against the cold floor and his eyes clenched shut.

“Hey…Schneep?” Chase began worriedly, creeping closer. The other Ego didn’t even stir; aside from a slight hitch in his breath, he barely seemed to acknowledge Chase’s presence. Clearing his throat, Chase scuffed his shoe awkwardly against Schneep’s, pushing it upright as he tried again, “Bro, are you okay? Um…d’you need anything?”

Schneep shifted at that, cracking his eyes open just a little. “No.”

“Well, I wanna help,” Chase informed him with a small, tense laugh as he stuck his hands in his pajama pockets. “You’ve got me a little worried here.”

“I’m fine, Chase. _Ich bin einfach perfekt_.”

“What does that mean?”

Schneep blinked a few times and then peered at him with a scowl. “It means I am _fine_ and I want to be left alone.”

This was like trying to get his daughter to open up, Chase realized, shaking his head ruefully. He’d never been good at that either. “Bro, you always help me when I’m feeling down; I gotta be able to help you somehow. Please?”

Grumbling a few choice words, Schneep propped himself up on his elbows, snapping, “Chase Brody, will you just—The door was closed for a _reason!_ You can truly help me, buddy, by going away right now! Right this minute! Right away!”

“Okay, okay,” Chase relented hastily, holding his hands up and backing towards the door. As he slipped out, however, he couldn’t help but leave it open just a crack. Part of it was rebellion—he wasn’t one to be bossed around, after all—but the larger part of it was that he had a feeling that Schneep wouldn’t go to the trouble of getting up to shut it again. Chase wasn’t about to get locked out before he could come back.

Of course he was coming back; Schneep honestly didn’t expect him to let it go that easily, did he? Chase may be the youngest Ego, but he and Schneep were only seven months apart and Chase was a father…had been a father. They both had been once; Schneep, of all people, understood how family problems nagged at a dad’s mind until he dealt with them or made sure someone else did as soon as possible.

Needless to say, seeing his closest “brother” flopped dejectedly on the floor like the laundry was a problem that Chase needed to deal with personally.

Striding back down the hall toward the others, he stooped over Marvin, earning a dismayed squawk from the magician as he rifled through the neatly folded clothes until he found what he was looking for: one of Jackieboy’s jumpsuits and Marv’s spare cape. _Still warm_ , he noted in satisfaction, ignoring Marv’s complaints as he crossed the clothing minefield back to Schneep’s room and grabbed the lone, rather sad little pillow on the bed and the comforter, rolling them into a messy ball.

“What’s all that for?” Jackieboy asked curiously, muting his show as Chase wove his way through the hall a third time.

“Our bro’s really not himself today,” Chase declared, his voice muffled in the various fabrics he was juggling. “I’m gonna give him some TLC.”

“That might not be a good idea…He tends to get a little _snappy_ if he thinks someone’s trying to force stuff on him,” Marv warned, shuddering as if he had only just remembered some unpleasant occasion.

“He can’t stay mad at me!” Chase reminded him with more optimism in his voice than in his heart. “Keep the coffee hot! He’ll be out in no time.”

This promise was a lie; as soon as Chase returned to the cracked door, a strain of muffled sobs reached his ears from somewhere beyond it.

Feeling as though he’d just been punched in the stomach, the youngest Ego barged in, accompanied by the door slamming against the wall where there wasn’t a jamb. Schneep jumped at the resounding boom, struggling to sit up and scrub at his face simultaneously.

“Don’t bother,” Chase made himself say as he tossed all of his gathered materials onto the floor. He couldn’t help but wonder what kind of excuse Schneep would give him for the tears if he had the chance, but he was equally sure that he didn’t want to know. Kneeling, he beat the pillow to its best fluffiness and pushed it over to his friend, who blinked glassy, bewildered eyes at it.

“What are you…? What is this?” the doctor questioned uncertainly.

Chase very nearly winced at the hoarse sadness in his companion’s voice; it was nothing close to his usual bubbliness _or_ the spiteful snappishness from earlier. Valiantly he forced his wince into a half-smile at the last minute, quipping, “It’s a pillow; you figure out what it does.”

Schneep honestly didn’t seem like he knew what to think as Chase spread out Jackieboy’s uniform and Marvin’s cape across the floor between them and then sorted the comforter out to cover their legs before he slid down onto his back, settling his hands underneath his head. The doctor continued staring at him, taken aback by this sudden turn of events, but Chase didn’t comment on it; he pretended not to notice when, after a few minutes’ hesitation, the doctor scooted a few inches closer to him and to the comforting warmth of the other Egos’ belongings.

“I…am sorry,” he murmured at length. “For what I say to you earlier. I just—I—I—” He sputtered a little, obviously struggling for the proper words.

“I get it, bro. You don’t have to explain,” Chase assured him mildly, keeping his eyes fixed on the ceiling as if it was incredibly interesting. In his peripheral vision, he could easily detect Schneep’s relief and further confusion at the pardon. Did he honestly think this was some ploy so Chase could wrangle a reason out of him? He ought to know him better than that!

After an undetermined amount of time, Schneep seemed to give up trying to understand, burrowing further under the blanket and curling a hand into the sweetly-scented laundry between them, as if it was an anchor. There were still tears in his eyes and he wasn’t quite smiling, but he already looked better than he had.

Barely five minutes later, he was snoring softly into his pillow and Chase could safely determine that his troubles had been forgotten.

**Author's Note:**

> Here's another story that may or may not make sense because it's kinda late when I'm writing it, but I had a sucky day and I took it out on Schneep with that little vent art up there. Then I felt bad about it, so Chase, sweet boy that he is, swooped in to save the day <3 I hope you enjoyed!


End file.
